Chains (Crave: 2) (FINISHED)

9 - Going for Ice Cream

"How could he be alive, Luna?" Elijah demanded. "How?"

She breathed for a moment. "Every Sunday, he'd take me to this forest even when I didn't want to... and this was after I turned into a vampire. He would drag me there and he would cut my hand... and he dropped my blood into this little cylinder, and he hid it in that weird rock. He told me he needed it 'just in case,' but when I questioned him further, he'd slap me and shove me in the dungeon all night."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "It was cold in there."

Elijah watched her carefully. "Luna... what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that he came back!" she cried, gazing up. "He's killing all those peoples! He's been doing it all this time! There's a reason he wanted my blood!"

Elijah's eyes darkened. "So if he died... he'd turn into a vampire."

She looked away, avoiding eye contact.

He sighed then. "But how did he get to the blood when he was in his office?"

"He drinks it every Saturday," she whispered, making him glance up. "He made it a ritual. So if he dies... it never leaves his system." She locked eyes with him. "The master has always been afraid of death, Lijah. More than he's supposed to... so he thought... if he died... what if he couldn't truly die...?"

Elijah's lips thinned, and she gazed down at her hands, watching herself clench and unclench her fists.

"You okay?" he said then, making her stop. "Do we need to make another appointment with Miss Veronica?"

She gazed up, shaking her head. "No. I'm fine."

He arched his brows.

She stared off into space. "I kept seeing him in my dreams. He kept telling me that I was foolish to think that he died. I keep seeing his shadows everywhere... that's why I had that panic attack. He's in my reflection in the mirror... but when I look back, he's gone. He's in my eyes, he's in my soul... in my head. And I thought that I was going crazy because the master's dead, but... I feel a little better knowing that I'm not going crazy." She giggled. "I'm already crazy enough, right?"

Elijah stepped forward, making her blink as he stopped and caught her hands. "I love you."

"I wuv you, too!" She held him to her, closing her eyes tightly when she pressed her head to his stomach. "I wuv you... You make me happy, Lijah."

He sighed and brushed his fingers through her hair. "You don't feel safe, do you?"

She gazed up then, smiling. "I never safe, Lijah! Never."

He just smiled, knowing she was faking happiness to mask the fear... but he could see the horror swelling in her eyes.

"You want ice cream?" he asked her.

"Ice cream?" Her eyes sparkled.

He nodded and ruffled her hair. "Go get those shoes on, Sweets."

She giggled and dashed off, making him smile after her.

*****

"Lick-lick," Luna said as they walked down the streets together, passing many mom and pop shops.

Elijah smiled down at her as she held her slightly-melted ice cream cone in her hand.

"Licky-lick," she said while eating it. "Lick-lick-lick."

He just chuckled, holding her hand as they passed down the streets.

"I wonder who found out milk existed," she said to Elijah, giggling. "Who looked at a cow's utter and said, 'I wanna drink from that'?"

Elijah snicked a little. "I don't know, Sweets."

"And who looked at old milk and said... 'Imma eat that'? And then invented cheese?"

Elijah just shook his head. "I don't know that either, Angel."

"I have a lot of nicknames for you," she said then, rocking her head side-to-side. "Potato, tomato, juicy-lucy—"

"What?" he said then, gazing down at her. "You've never called me juicy-lucy."

"Well, I can now!" she said, smiling. "Juicy-lu—"

"No," he said then, rolling his eyes, "I veto that one."

She giggled. "Elijah's moody today."

"Am not," he said then, gazing down at her.

"Yes, you are!" she said. "You threw me like five-hundred miles into a hot spring!"

"That was a hundred yards, Luna."

She waved his response away. "Meh." And she continued eating her ice cream. "Lick-lick. Lick-lick." She gazed up then, swallowing her food and smiled. "Why didn't Lijah get ice cream? Lijah likes sweet things, no?"

He glanced down at her in amusement. "Just not in the mood for sweet things, okay?"

"Is it me?" she said then, pouting. "Am I too sweet for you?"

He just chuckled. "The ego."

"Lijah has ego, too!" She licked her ice cream again. "He once told me that he never had a bad hair day, and I says... 'you had one two weeks ago,' and you told me to shut it or no kisses for a whole hour... An hour!"

He just chuckled. "That was in front of Max and Ember, Luna. I don't want them hearing that."

"They already think you're silly and crazy," she replied, "why would they care about you having a bad hair day?"

He gave her a look. "I must look confident in front of them."

"And having no bad-hair days makes you less confident?" she asked him.

He gave her a look. "Keep questioning me and no kisses tonight."

"What?" she said, pouting. "That's not fair!"

"I think it's plenty fair," he replied, shaking his head. "You're being mean to me."

"Am I hurting Lijah's ego?" she said.

He gave her a look. "No kisses."

She gasped then, shaking her head. "No! No!"

He closed his eyes and tipped his chin up. "I warned you and you didn't stop."

She pouted. "I sorry, Lijah. I sorry."

He just ignored her, keeping his chin tipped up.

"Lijah!" she said, jumping in front of him. "Lijah, don't ignore me!"

He never replied.

She huffed out a breath as they kept walking. "Ignore me and I dump ice cream all over your jacket."

He gazed down at her then, brows arching. "Sorry, what? Is someone trying to talk to me?"

She pouted and turned back forward, stomping forward.

He just chuckled and went after her. "Luna, I was messing with you."

She just kept going forward until her lashes fluttered open, and she slowed to a stop, staring across the street.

Elijah continued forward and stopped at her side, recognizing the cold swarming in those eyes.

She continued staring forward, gasping softly.

The moment he noticed the fear swarming in her eyes, he shot his eyes forward to what she was looking at.

And he found the dark-hooded figure standing under a lamp, a large smile spreading across his lips as his eyes locked on her. "Hello, Luna. Long time no see."